NEW ORLEANS — The Millsaps men's and women's track and field programs finished out the Spring term strong in their studies as both were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams, which was announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday.

Setting high program marks during the 2024-25 season, the women's team excelled with a 3.356 cumulative GPA, while the men's squad garnered a 3.113 GPA to date. Both teams met the 3.1 cumulative GPA threshold.

Athletically, the Majors saw 13 different top-five program performances bettered or established throughout the 2024-25 season.

Senior Fran Edwards crushed it during her final collegiate campaign. She now stands first place in the Millsaps women's program record book in both the indoor and outdoor 5000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters.

She surpassed the indoor 5K with a mark of 19 minutes, 20.83 seconds at the Samford Bulldog Invite on Feb. 15.

Edwards following up this accomplishment by shattering the 5000 meters at the Rhodes 7-Way Meet on April 12, where she finished in fourth place with a time of 18:40.97.

Not stopping there, Edwards also drew attention in the 2025 Southern Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championship, where she crossed the finish line in fifth place in the women's 10,000-meter final with a time of 39.52.85.

Classmate Sarah Strickland placed her name atop the school program record book as well.

The distance runner stands first in the women's indoor mile (5:31.65), second in the 3000-meter steeplechase (12:23.53) and third in the indoor 800 meters (2:33.13) after three stellar performances as a senior.

Teaming up with Strickland, freshman Claudia Dempsey sits fourth in the Millsaps program record book in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

On April 25, Dempsey ran a 12.55.19 at the 2025 SAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. She finished ninth place in the final event.

Sophomore Fiona Selders also had a strong display for the Majors during the 2024-25 season. The sprinter competed in five meets and became the program's third-fastest runner in school history in both the 200 and 400 meters.

On April 12, Selders covered 200 meters in 26.40 seconds at the Rhodes 7-Way Meet and clocked 400 meters in 59.66 seconds in the prelims of the SAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship on April 25.

Selders also became the Majors' third all-time runner in the women's 400-meter prelim, where she concluded her event in 59.66 seconds at the 2025 SAA Track and Field Championship on April 25.

Starting her collegiate career well, freshman Merritt Johnson had a solid performance in her first season with the Majors.

Johnson now holds the third spot in the women's 100-meter hurdles record book with a time of 18.48 seconds, a record she set at the Rhodes 7-Way Meet.

Rounding out the women's team's fantastic performances was sophomore Amari Jackson-Wright. She launched the shot put a distance of 10.02 meters at the Belhaven Invitational on March 22. Her performance ranks fourth all-time among the Majors in the event.

On the men's squad, first-year student Justin Smith appeared in five meets for the Majors during the 2024-25 season.

As a rising star, Justin excelled in the men's 400-meter final with a time of 50.97 at the 2025 SAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He finished fifth and now ranks fourth in the program record book.

Like Smith, classmate W.H. Carver made a name for himself in his early career with the Majors as well.

Carver appeared in five meets during his freshman campaign and brought his best effort where he competed strongly in the 2025 SAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. Carver finished 12th in the men's indoor 60-meter dash in 7.53 seconds. The time currently stands fifth in the Millsaps program record book.


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Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.